Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 6, 2026

Genotyping Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in the Mitochondrial Genome by Pyrosequencing
07:24

Genotyping Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in the Mitochondrial Genome by Pyrosequencing

Published on: February 10, 2023

2.0K

Plasmid-like DNA is part of mitochondrial DNA in Podospora anserina

U Kück1, U Stahl, K Esser

  • 1Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine Botanik, Ruhr-Universität, Postfach 102148, D-4630, Bochum 1, Federal Republic of Germany.

Current Genetics
|November 6, 2013
PubMed

Insights

The plasmid-like DNA (p1DNA) causes senescence in Podospora anserina. Experiments confirm p1DNA originates from mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), excises during aging, and replicates autonomously.

Area of Science:

  • Mycology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Aging Research

Background:

  • The fungus Podospora anserina exhibits senescence.
  • A circular DNA molecule, plasmid-like DNA (p1DNA), is implicated in causing senescence.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To confirm the location and origin of p1DNA within the fungal cell.
  • To elucidate the relationship between p1DNA and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) during fungal aging.

Main Methods:

  • Restriction analysis of juvenile and senescent mtDNA.
  • Southern blot hybridization using labeled p1DNA.
  • Fine mapping via restriction and heteroduplex experiments with bacterial vector-integrated DNA.

Main Results:

  • Senescent mtDNA is a partial derivative of juvenile mtDNA.
  • p1DNA is homologous to sequences within juvenile mtDNA.
  • Precise insertion site of p1DNA within juvenile mtDNA was determined.

Conclusions:

  • p1DNA is located within the mtDNA of Podospora anserina.
  • During aging, p1DNA is excised from mtDNA and becomes an independently replicating molecule, leading to senescence.

More Related Videos

Analysis of the Expression and Complexes Assembly of the Mitochondrial Respiratory Chain Proteins in the Fission Yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe08:07

Analysis of the Expression and Complexes Assembly of the Mitochondrial Respiratory Chain Proteins in the Fission Yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe

Published on: May 2, 2025

984
Measuring Single-Cell Mitochondrial DNA Copy Number and Heteroplasmy Using Digital Droplet Polymerase Chain Reaction09:15

Measuring Single-Cell Mitochondrial DNA Copy Number and Heteroplasmy Using Digital Droplet Polymerase Chain Reaction

Published on: July 12, 2022

4.8K

Related Concept Videos

Non-nuclear Inheritance01:29

Non-nuclear Inheritance

Most DNA resides in the nucleus of a cell. However, some organelles in the cell cytoplasm⁠—such as chloroplasts and mitochondria⁠—also have their own DNA. These organelles replicate their DNA independently of the nuclear DNA of the cell in which they reside. Non-nuclear inheritance describes the inheritance of genes from structures other than the nucleus.
20.8K
Animal Mitochondrial Genetics02:59

Animal Mitochondrial Genetics

Among all the organelles in an animal cell, only mitochondria have their own independent genomes. Animal mitochondrial DNA is a double-stranded, closed-circular molecule with around 20,000 base pairs. Mitochondrial DNA is unique in that one of its two strands, the heavy, or H, -strand is guanine rich, whereas the complementary strand is cytosine rich and called the light, or L, -strand. Compared to nuclear DNA, mitochondrial DNA has a very low percentage of non-coding regions and is marked by...
7.8K
Comparing Mitochondrial, Chloroplast, and Prokaryotic Genomes02:16

Comparing Mitochondrial, Chloroplast, and Prokaryotic Genomes

The present-day mitochondrial and chloroplast genomes have retained some of the characteristics of their ancestral prokaryotes and also have acquired new attributes during their evolution within eukaryotic cells. Like prokaryotic genomes, mitochondrial and chloroplast genomes neither bind with histone-like proteins nor show complex packaging into chromosome-like structures, as observed in eukaryotes. Unlike mitotic cell divisions observed in eukaryotic cells, mitochondria and chloroplasts...
11.6K
Export of Mitochondrial and Chloroplast Genes02:19

Export of Mitochondrial and Chloroplast Genes

A eukaryotic cell can have up to three different types of genetic systems: nuclear, mitochondrial, and chloroplast. During evolution, organelles have exported many genes to the nucleus; this transfer is still ongoing in some plant species. Approximately 18% of the Arabidopsis thaliana nuclear genome is thought to be derived from the chloroplast’s cyanobacterial ancestor, and around 75% of the yeast genome derived from the mitochondria’s bacterial ancestor. This export has occurred...
3.1K
Plasmids01:28

Plasmids

Plasmids are extrachromosomal DNA molecules found in bacteria, archaea, and some eukaryotic microbes like yeast. These small, circular DNA structures typically contain fewer than 30 genes, although some may exist linearly. Plasmids vary in their number within a cell, known as copy number. Single-copy plasmids are present in one copy per cell and multi-copy plasmids are present in multiple copies, reaching over 100 copies per cell.Plasmids usually replicate independently of the chromosomal DNA...
4.2K
Genomic DNA in Prokaryotes00:46

Genomic DNA in Prokaryotes

The genome of most prokaryotic organisms consists of double-stranded DNA organized into one circular chromosome in a region of cytoplasm called the nucleoid. The chromosome is tightly wound, or supercoiled, for efficient storage. Prokaryotes also contain other circular pieces of DNA called plasmids. These plasmids are smaller than the chromosome and often carry genes that confer adaptive functions, such as antibiotic resistance.
Genomic Diversity in Bacteria
Although bacterial genomes are much...
42.5K